If, Then

Normally, while I read, I end up comparing what I am reading to books I have read before. I can't help that, and I can't shut it off. I've tried. For some strange reason while reading If, Then I keep thinking of films. It's fair to say this book reminded me of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. We meet a ton of characters and we know SOMETHING is going to happen, to all of them. Soon. (Note: I never read the novel, so it may have a similar feel). And it made me think of Take Shelter, a movie I adore. There is a lot to like in If, Then. What I didn't find was something to LOVE. I wasn't engrossed in the story. I kept waiting for the THING to happen. And it's also possible that because I read a ton of speculative fiction and am very used to magical realism, when I am given a plot device of alternate realities and people jumping in and out of them, I kind of expect the author to really USE that in some way. Here it is used in a more literary manner- the alternate universe is a way for the characters to see themselves in another light. It's kind of like how, to me, [b:The Age of Miracles 12401556 The Age of Miracles Karen Thompson Walker https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342487370s/12401556.jpg 17382941] was more of a coming of age story and not really about the end of the world. This book is not really about alternative realities, and some small part of me has to admit I would have liked it more had it been. One more opinion: I dislike the title very, very much and would have preferred it be called Counterfactuals or, really, anything else.